Solar Flares 2012 - 2013

Even if you're
not interested in 2012, this page explains what solar flares are and
will help you understand how solar flares effect earth.

There is
heaps on this page for school projects about solar flares. Read on and
find out about solar flares (and 2012 too if you like).

A lot of people are interested
in solar flares 2012 and the end of the world. What is the
connection? Will 2012 be the end of the world because of a solar
flare?

NEWS ITEM - Storm from X Class flare coming March 11, 2012

After the X Class X5.6 flare produced by the sun on March 6, 2012 the sun has continued to produce large flares followed by Coronal Mass Ejections (CME). NASA reports that “On March 8, 2012 at 10:53 PM EST the sun erupted with an M6.3 class flare, and about an hour later released a coronal mass ejection (CME). These eruptions came from active region 1429 that has so far produced two X class flares, and numerous M-class flares.

NASA’s Space Weather Center models measure the CME traveling at speeds of over 700 miles per second. The CME should reach Earth’s magnetosphere, the protective envelope of magnetic fields around the planet, early in the morning of March 11.”

See the videos below of the March 6, 2012 solar flare and the second video of the northern lights, Aurora Borealis in Alaska on March 7 which is produced above the earth when a geomagnetic solar storm cause by a CME hits us. The third video shows the northern lights from space.

NEWS ITEM - X Class flare affects earth

At 3:27pm Eastern Time on 3 November 2011, the Sun sent out a solar flare from the sun's AR1339 region. This was an X Class 1.9 flare. The result was that about 45 minutes later there was some disruption to radio communications. On the same day around 8:45pm Eastern Time, a CME (coronal mass ejection) shot out from a different part of the sun heading in the direction of Venus. This was one of the brighest CME's so far in the current 11 year solar cycle. These cycles peak every 11 years. For this cycle, that will be around 2013-2014.

Warning from UK's Secretary of Defense

When UK's Secretary of Defense, Dr. Liam Fox, spoke of how the earth is vulnerable to a solar flare such as the one in 1859 that burnt out telegraph wires across Europe and America, he wasn't kidding. He is supporting the claims of scientists who say that earth could be vulnerable to a once in a century massive solar flare in 2013.

Sometimes a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) can be associated with a solar flare and this is what scientists are concerned about (for more on CME's scroll down to a separate heading on this topic). The result of this could be that some parts of the earth would be without power for months. Communications including satellites, and any area of life dependent on electricity would be vulnerable.

In response to this, those who put the satellites up in space (for example) say that they have already put measures in place to protect their hardware from such an event. NASA have spoken of developing a detection system that would give a two day warning of such an event.

Liam Fox also says that while the threat at this time is minimal, a nuclear explosion in the upper atmosphere (by enemies of the UK or any other nation) could result in electromagnetic disruption. He said, "With reliance, for instance on technology, comes vulnerability, and vulnerability can invite attack". He believe that such an attack would destroy vital electric systems by producing an electromagnetic pulse.

Note that while some American politicians perceive a higher level of threat, Liam Fox has said that the threat is minimal at this time.

To find out more about X class flares, how big they have been in the
past and how dangerous they are as well as Coronal Mass Ejections,
please scroll down this page. We also recommend that you watch the 3
videos below...

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you find this page helpful, then we'd be grateful if you'd FB like it
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Solar Flares - Inclding X Class Solar Flares

Solar flares happen when when energy stored in twisted magnetic fields is suddenly released causing an explosion of plasma shot up from the sun's surface. Apparently the energy from these solar flares can be enough to produce 100 billion atomic bombs. But it's nothing to be concerned about because this all happens low down in the sun's corona (outer surface). This burst of electromagnetic radiation produced from these solar flares includes radio waves, x-rays and gamma-rays. Sometimes there will be a CME (see further down for explanation) associated with solar flares. Solar Flares and CME's can happen independently of each other.

Solar flares are classified according x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms.

3. C-class solar flares - small events: these have hardly any noticeable effects on Earth.

Solar activity operates on an 11 year cycle with the Sun being more active in the 11th year. The next cycle to be completed will be in 2012. This is why some are expecting extra large solar flares in 2012.

The table below shows the strength of X-class solar flares from 1976 when x-ray data was available. Only solar flares above X9 are shown. Each "x" cross in the table (under the years 1978-2006) indicates a solar flare. If you look to the left of the cross (to the first column) you will see the strength of solar flares ranging from X9.0 to X28+. You can see that even though an 11 year cycle finished in 2001 (where we would expect more activity) it does not mean that there cannot be large solar flares at other times.

This is seen in the November 4, 2003 flare which is the largest of all recorded solar flares.

78

80

82

84

89

90

91

92

97

01

03

05

06

X28+

X

X20.0

x

x

X17.2

x

X17.0

x

X15.0

x

x

X14.4

x

X13.0

x

x

X12.9

x

X12.0

x

xxxx

X10.1

x

x

X10.0

xx

x

X9.8

x

x

X9.4

x

X9.3

x

X9.0

x

x

x

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT SOLAR FLARES?

It's not logical to suggest that the earth will be mortally wounded by a solar flare or solar flares in 2012 just because that is when the next 11 cycle starts/ends. It is not logical because large solar flares can happen at any time. There is therefore no reason to believe at that the completion of the next 11 year cycle in 2012 a solar flare will destroy the earth. And even after we had an unprecedented X-class solar flare at X28, the earth is still here. Most people probably didn't even know it happened!

There is nothing we can do about solar flares. All we can do is take photos of them. Solar flares are totally out of our control. The moon and the sun affect our climate but they remain out of our control. Our energy is best spent finding responsible ways to look after earth, here and now. If the day came when the earth was fatally wounded by a solar flare, you would have bigger things to worry about. Why? Because when you die (and you will die no matter whether the earth is here for another gadzillion years of not) you will at that moment find out whether what you believed about life after death is true or not.

Solar Flares 2012 and Coronal Mass Ejections - CME's

CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS - CMEs

Magnetic fields in the sun can heat the sun's gases to tens of thousands of degrees. This energy can explode rapidly out of the sun's corona (the unstable outer surface) at very high speeds ejecting up to 10 billion tons of ionised gas into the solar system at speeds of up to 2 million miles per hour. These events are called coronal mass ejections (CME). This is different to solar flares because the plasma actually lifts off from and leaves (is ejected from) the surface of the sun. It is then carried by solar winds into the solar system and can be as big as the sun itself. A CME can result in magnetic storms when its gasses interact with the Earth's magnetic field. This distorts the shape of our magnetic field and speeds up the electrically charged particles that are trapped inside.

In November 4, 2003 a CME associated with the X28 solar flare, left the sun traveling at 2300 kilometres per second (8.2 million km/h). It's effect on the planet was minimal because the full blast of the CME was directed away from the earth.

MAGNETOSPHERE, IONOSPHERE & ATMOSPHERE - Earth's "force fields".

So far, the effects of increased solar activity have been the loss of some satellites, disrupted radio communication and localised blackouts. One such blackout was on March 13, 1989 when Quebec in Canada experienced had a nine hour blackout. Then, depending on the earth and sun's magnetic configuration at the time, we may see an aurora. So, even if a CME reaches us, we are protected by our magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere from serious harm.

Our Sun - It's not that big, really!

Let's move on from solar flares...

DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE STARS OUT THERE BIGGER THAN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM!!!

The image below is of our sun. But it's not that big, really!

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING FOUR STARS:

1. The Sun: It is 93 million miles away yet it only takes light 8 minutes to get to the earth from the sun. It is one million times the size of Earth. If the earth were the size of a golf ball, the sun would be 15 feet in diameter. That's enough golf balls to fill up a school bus from floor to ceiling.

2. Betelegeuse: It is 427 light years from earth. A light year is the distance light travels in 1 year going a the speed of 299,792 kilometers per second (186,287 miles per second). Betelegeuse is 750 times the size of our sun. Image the solar flares IT will produce. It is twice the size of the earth's orbit around the sun. Woah! Now get this... if the earth were the size of a golf ball, Betelgeuse would be the height of six Empire State Buildings staked on top of one another. 262 trillion earths can fit inside this star. That's enough to fill up a superdome sport ground - 3,000 times!

3. Mu Cephei: It is 3,000 light years away. If the earth were the size of a golf ball, Mu Cephei would be the width of two Golden Gate Bridges from end to end. 2.7 quadrillion earths can fit inside of this star. Solar flares are old news but many people don't know what you're reading now.

How can you define quadrillion?

This is an important question before to consider before we go to our next star. So think about this...

1 million seconds ago = 12 days ago.

1 billion seconds ago = 1975.

1 trillion seconds ago = 29,700 B.C.

1 quadrillion seconds ago = 30,800,000 years ago

4. Canus Majorus (the Big Dog star): It is 5,000 light years from earth. If the earth were a golf ball, Canus Majorus would be the height of Mount Everest. SEVEN quadrillion earths can fit inside of this star. That number would cover the state of Texas 22 inches deep in golf balls. You need to start thinking past solar flares and begin thinking about where all these suns that produce solar flares come from.

One Day

One day, after you die, you're going to meet the amazing and hugely awesome and powerful God who made all this stuff. And we're just talking about a few suns here. We haven't even begun to consider galaxies. Ever wonder if you'd be good enough to go to heaven if judged by such a powerful holy God.

CLICK HERE do a short test and find out now. Don't wait till after you die.

Your Local Galaxy!

WHERE YOU LIVE

Our sun with all its solar flares, is in the middle of our solar system. The tip of the yellow arrow in the image to the left points to the general area of our solar system. And earth is just a medium sized planet in that solar system. Our solar system is one of many solar systems in the Galaxy you see to the left called the "Milky Way". It's OUR galaxy! Through pictures taken from the Hubble telescope is has been estimated that there are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy. That's just one galaxy folks! And that's just from what we can see from one telescope!!!

The Hubble telescope has allowed scientists to estimate that there are about 130 billion galaxies. That's galaxies, not stars. Our sun is a star. Can you see how small you are. And here's the really mind blowing news. Every time they build a bigger telescope, they find more galaxies! What do you make of all that except that you are very small indeed. With the recent focus on solar flares, lets not forget the bigger picture and what we are a part of. Some would want to say that this increases the possibility that there is other life out there. Yep, there is. He's the one who made all this.

Why would God make all this if he was only going to put life on one small planet revolving around a reasonably small sun? It seems a bit of a waste doesn't it. Not really. Here's the answer from God's Word as to why all this vast universe that boggles our tiny minds:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." (Psalm 19:1).

So when you look up at the sky and are reminded how small you are, remember that, at the end of the day, you are still faced with the reality that you are going to die. You need to get ready for that day.